The excavation was conducted following the discovery of archaeological remains in the course of infrastructure work at the site. The remains included a kurkar stone wall (W111); layers of alluvium and an occupation level that contained pottery vessels, tesserae, animal bones, coins of the Byzantine–Early Islamic periods (fourth–tenth centuries CE), as well as walls from the Late Ottoman period (nineteenth century CE), which are the remains of the Arab village of Beit Dajan that was located on and around the tell until 1948.

Tel Bet Dagan has not been excavated yet. An excavation that was conducted west of the tell revealed settlement strata that dated to the Iron Age and the Persian period (sixth–fourth centuries BCE) and an industrial area that included a large public winepress from the Late Byzantine to the Early Islamic periods(fifth–tenth centuries CE; ESI 20:59*–60*). The remains of buildings that probably constituted the residential area of the Byzantine-period settlement were exposed near the winepress (Permit No. A-3421). To the west of the winepress an industrial installation––a winepress or tanning facility––from the end of the Roman or the beginning of the Byzantine periods was discovered (Permit No. A-4039). Finally, potsherds of Iron I and the Persian period were collected in a survey to the north of the site (HA 17:10 [Hebrew]).
Six and a half squares (A–G; Fig. 1) on a north–south axis were opened; four and a half squares (A, D, E, F, G) were excavated and two (B, C) were probed by mechanical equipment and yielded no finds.

A probe conducted in the southeastern quarter of Square A exposed layers of alluvium that contained a krater from the Persian period (Fig. 2:2), a buff-ware jug (Fig. 2:5) and a Northern-type Islamic jar (Fig. 2:6). Beneath these layers was a compact alluvial stratum that contained small kurkar stones (L116; thickness 0.23 m) and ceramic finds, including a mortarium from the Persian period (Fig. 2:1), a bag-shaped storage jar of the Byzantine period (Fig. 2:3) and a buff-ware type jug (Fig. 2:4), as well as twelve coins.

The surface layer contained modern refuse mixed with Marseilles rooftiles, fragments of Gaza Ware, pipe fragments, the top of a nargila and a coin. Two walls were revealed below it. Wall 105 (Square A), oriented southeast–northwest (0.55 × 1.75 m) was survived by three courses of its fieldstone-built foundation. Wall 111 (Square G), aligned in a similar direction (0.70 × 2.90 m), was survived by six of its courses. The foundation courses were built of roughly-hewn kurkar slabs (0.15 × 0.32 × 0.40 m) while its upper courses were of kurkar stones (0.10 × 0.20 × 0.25 m). The pottery finds included bowls (Fig. 2:7, 8) and a cooking pot (Fig. 2:9).

During the excavation thirteen coins were discovered, ten of which were identified: two were from the second century BCE and the rest from the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods (mid fourth century–mid eighth century CE).

No.

Ruler

Mint

Date

Locus

IAA No.

1

Antiochus IV

‘Akko

175–164 BCE

116

102294

2

John Hyrcanus?

Jerusalem

129–105 BCE

116

102289

3

Constans I

341–346 CE

116

102293

4

Marcian

450–457 CE

116

102287

5

Justinian I

Carthage

mid-6th century CE

116

102295

6

Justin II

Constantinople

569/70 CE

116

102291

7

Maurice

Antioch

591/2 CE

116

102292

8

Maurice

Constantinople

601/2 CE

116

102288

9

Heraclius I

Thessalonica

614/5 CE

116

102290

10

Umayyad (post reform)

697–750 CE

99 (surface level)

102286

The meager remains exposed south of Tel Bet Dagan are consistent with what we know of the settlement and its periods, as determined from the excavations that were carried out west of the tell.